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Plea bargain reached in shooting case

A Parachute man who was at the scene during an Orchard Mesa shooting in late May will receive a four-year, deferred-probation sentence in exchange for a guilty plea.

Joshua Ray Perez, 22, initially was considered to be the shooter during an incident the night of May 22 in which Clinton Waters, then 22, and Anthony Garcia, then 36, were shot at 297 Boston Lane. Authorities initially believed Joshua Perez shot the men, but the man’s brother, Tommy Lee Perez, 25, was later charged with attempted murder.

Joshua Perez pleaded guilty Thursday in court to one felony charge of tampering with evidence and a misdemeanor charge of false reporting to authorities. He is expected to receive a four-year deferred sentence Monday during his sentencing hearing.

Joshua Perez’s case will be dismissed if he abides by terms of probation. He faces the possibility of three years in prison if he violates terms of probation. Joshua Perez also will have to testify in court if his co-defendant takes his case to trial.

Tommy Lee Perez appeared Thursday in court, too. He is expected to enter a plea during his next hearing, Oct. 13, according to his attorney, Steve Laiche. Tommy Lee Perez could face 10 to 48 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea on his charges.

According to an arrest affidavit, the men were at Garcia’s Orchard Mesa home when the brothers began arguing and a fight between the two ensued. Garcia was shot twice in the thigh and ribs, and Waters was shot three times in the abdomen.

Deputies found a cell phone at the scene that belonged to Joshua Perez, and a walker on the 29 Road Bridge found a Colt .357-caliber revolver on the roadway that police determined to be the shooter’s weapon.